The invention relates to a method for applying, at least in regions, a surface structure to a solid body, wherein a structured surface is placed directly or indirectly onto the surface of the solid body and the structure of this structured surface is reproduced in the surface of the solid body, in that                an explosive structured layer having the structured surface is arranged on the surface of the solid body is disseminated by ignition of the same in the surface of the solid body; and/or        at least one moulded structured layer having the structured surface is arranged on the surface of the solid body and is disseminated in the surface of the solid body by igniting a separate explosive layer.        
The invention also relates to the use of such a method and to a solid body produced in particular by means of such a method, with an at least partially region-based surface structure.
A method according to the preamble of claim 1 is disclosed in EP 0 937 562 A1, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. According to the method disclosed in the aforementioned publication a structured surface, e.g. in the form of synthetic leather, leather or other natural materials or substances such as the leaves of plants, fabrics or other decorative materials, is placed on the surface of the workpiece and is covered with an explosive layer that is generally as thin as possible, such as an explosive film or even liquid or molten, pasty or viscous explosives, so that the moulded structured layer having the structured surface is located between the explosive layer and the solid body or workpiece to be structured. The explosive is then ignited and the surface structure is therefore reproduced in the surface of the workpiece. The quantity and/or type of explosive is in this case preferably chosen so that the workpiece is not massively transformed but where, on the one hand, a relatively high detonation pressure with a steep pressure rise is nevertheless developed during the transformation of the explosive, which provides a reproduction of even very soft materials, such as a natural leaf. On the other hand the pressure, in addition to a material of high Impedance, rises substantially on the contact surface so that the critical load stress of the material to be processed is exceeded. In this case the structured surface can be arranged, according to the desired optical effect, directly on the surface of the workpiece or indirectly, i.e. with the intermediate arrangement of further layers, e.g. flat intermediate layers of paper or sheet steel, or even intermediate layers of air or liquids, where in the latter case the detonation pressure is damped and sharp edges of the disseminated surface structure can be avoided, for example. Alternatively, instead of placing a structured surface on the workpiece, it is proposed that the explosive itself, which is solid in this case, be provided with such a structure that this explosive structured layer is then disseminated into the surface of the workplace at the time of ignition of the explosive. It is also conceivable to form the above-mentioned intermediate layer, which is solid in this case, in turn with such a structure that the surface structure disseminated into the workpiece results on the one hand from a overlapping of the structure of the structured surface, and on the other from the structure of the intermediate layer, whereby special optical effects or multi-stage surface structures of the workpiece can be achieved. The workpieces surface structured in this way are, in particular, moulding tools, e.g. for plastic processing, or forming tools, such as erosion electrodes, which then transfer the explosively disseminated surface structure to the moulding produced.
This method, also known as “explosive embossing”, has a number of advantages over conventional methods for surface structuring, such as irradiation techniques, galvanising etc. For instance, it can, in particular, be carried out very quickly and inexpensively, and even very complex structures, as well as natural structures (leather grain effect, leaf arteries, etc.), can be reproduced.
The object of the invention is to develop a method of the type just mentioned to the extent that the complexity of the surface structure produced can be further increased in order, in particular, to develop new applications for the method. It is also focussed on the use of such a method and on solid bodies which have a surface structure produced by such a method.